Engine for marine propulsion



(No Model.)

J. A. SE-COE.

ENGINE FORA MARINE PROPULSION.

No. 398,659. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

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J'OIIT A. SECOR, OF BROOKLYN, llV YORK.

ENGINE FOR MARlNE PROPULSlON.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 398,659, dated February 26, 1889.

Application filed November 3, 1888. Serial No. 289,918. fNo model.)

ToraZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, JOHN A. SEGOB, of Broole ful Improveinent in Engines, of which the following is a speci tication.

My invention relates more particularly to engines employed for the propulsion ot' marine vessels; but it is not confined in this application to such engines. y

I will describe an engine embodying my improvement in detail, and then point outl` the chamber B a gate, B, which is hinged atthe novel features in claims.

In the accompanying'drawings, Figure l is 3 line x rr of Fig. of an exigirle embodyingl my t improvement and of a portion ot' a vessel cmthe chamber is provided.

taining such engine. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view ot' the engine, showing the arrangement of the exploding agency; and Fig. I1 is a longitudinal section of an injector.

Similar letters of reference designate eorresponding parts in all the iigures.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates the stern portion ot' a vessel, and A indicates the rudder thereof.

B designates chambers, preferably oi' metal, arranged in the lower part of the stern por tion of the vessel. These chambers may be of any required number, placed side by side and entirely independent of each other, excepting as to certain connections, hereinafter set forth. In the present example I have shown four chambers B, which for convenience are numbered l f2 3 l, the operating mechanism, however, being similar in each. I will particularly describe but one. The chamber B is approximately rectangular in cross-section. The rear end extends or opens outward through the stern of the vessel, and the front end is bent or extended downward ar d opens through the bottom of the vessel. At the rear end the chamber has combined with it a valve, B', and at its forward end it has combined with it a similar valve, B9'. Then it is dcsired that the vessel shall be propelled for# inward when acted upon by the force of the ward, the valve B2 must be closed and the 'valve B opened. The valves l B'2 may be operated by any suitable mechanism. I have here shown the valves as iittcd in a slidewa-y, b', so that they may be adjusted vertically therein. Partei' this slideway is made in the form of a trunk extending above the chamber A threaded rod, he, extends upward from each valve B 32 through a suitable stuffingbox in the top wall of the trunk, where it is engaged by a tapped operaiingwheel, b3. It is to be undcrst ood that these operating-rods may extend to any desirable location-say above deck of the vessel-and it is obvious that by means ot the threaded rods the valves may bc opened to any required extent'.

I have shown at the forward extremity of its rear end to the chamber and connected at the forward end by a link, if, with a screw threaded rod, hi, that extends upward into the vessel through a sluiting-box, with which A nutJ or wheel, b5, is combined with the screw-rod, so that by rotating this nut the gate li* maybe lowered or raised to open or close the forward end ot' the chamber ll. The forward portion ot' the chamber B is so bent or extended that in conjunction with the gate B3, when lowered at an angle to the vessel, it willdireetthe force produced by explosions within the chamber B properly to ettect a rearward motion of the vessel. The gate B3, instead of being operated bythe mechanism described, may bc operated in any other desirable manner.

The valves B B2, to which I have already referred, are, as it will have been understood, intended to operate solely at the will of an atten dant. The chamber l has also combined with it valves C C2, which are intended to act automatically. rlhe valve C will operate .x only when the valve B is open, and the valve C2 will operate only when the valve B(l and gate B"i are open. The object ot' the valves C (l2 is to permit of the force of an explosion within -the chamber B to be exerted upon. the water at either end of the chamber B, and yet to prevent the subsequent influx of water into the chamber. Therefore these valves C C2 open outward under the influence of the force produced within the chamber and close water outside the chamber. The frames for these valves are preferably made of metal, which have each two rectangular openings,

and the frames fit at the edges in recesses in the side walls and bottom of thc chamber B, and the valves may be drawn upward into trunks b y means of a screw-rod and nut, as before described. The valves are designed to close the rectangular openings through the frames on the outer side, and the said valves are preferably composed of india-rubber, a sheet of leather arranged adjacent to that side of the rubber next the frame, a plate of sheet-iron arranged against the leather, a block or piece of wood arranged adjacent to the other side of the rubber, and a'plate of sheet-iron arranged against the outer side of the piece of wood. I have found that this combination of material is of great importance in making the'valves for my engine. The various parts may be secured together by means of screw-bolts and nuts, or otherwise.

.F designates a receptacle containing hydrocarbonfsuch, for instance, as kerosene. u It is connected by a pipe, F', to the injector E.

The :receptacle F is here shown as connected to a ceiling or other raised portion above the engi-ne, and the pipe F extends from the lower portion of the receptacle to the-inj ector E, and as being provided near the injector with a check-valveLf, which will open toward the injector E and chamber B, but will close inthe reverse direction, so as to exclude from the pipe Fand receptacle F any force or .pressu-reof gases which may bc generated in the chamber B.

I have described a receptacle for containing a liquid fuel for producing combustion within .the chamber; but it is to be understood that other fuel may be used, such, for instance, as coal-dust, f nel-gas, the.

The injector E consists of a shell, e, a piece, e, fitted in one end of the shell c, which is farthest from the pipe F', and a piece, e2, iitted into the shell c. The piece e is provided with two tapering openings, which are largest at the end of the piece and which at their smaller Vdiameters meet .and communicate. The piece e2 extends into one ofthe tapering cavities-of the piece c', and itself -has a tapering hole throughout its length. It will be seen that the diameter of the outer end of the piece c2 is less than the smallest .diameter `of the piece e. The space between the piece e2 land the tapering cavities of the piece e, into which it extends, communicates with the pipe F,leading from the hydrocarbon-receptacle.

F. The interior of the piece e2 communicates with the pipe D', leading to an opening into another of the chambers B. The pipe or conduit D has an inwardly-o peni ng check-valve7 b, within it near the injector. The force of the compressed air will drawthe.hydrocarbon .intothe injector, and,'owing to the peculiar 'construction of the piece e', will dash the hydrocarbon into a spray. In the form of a spray the hydrocarbon enters the chamber B with the-compressed air.

Means whereby the hydrocarbon and the airwithin a chamber B may be exploded may be described as follows:

G designates a source of electricity, which may bea battery orA a dynamo-electric machine. Y

G shows wires extending from the poles of the generator to two electrodes, G2 These electrodes extend through the wall of the chamber B, and are adapted to contact with each other within said chamber. They are insulated from the chamber and from each other.` The electrode G3 is stationary. The electrode G2 is, however, vertically movable, in order that its inner end maybe made to contact with theelectrode G3, which has its end bent upward, or may be operated therefrom, as occasion may require. It is intended that normally the electrodes shall be in contact, and that they shall be separated at the proper times to produce sparks, whereby the air and hydrocarbon within the chamber B may be ignited.

H designates a cylinder having a small opening'into the chamber B; and H is a pis ton or plunger valve within the cylinder H, from which extends a rod, 71 through a springcontrolled cover, 71.', which is adapted to it snugly within the upper aperture of the cylinder when the piston is allowed to fall by a vacuum in the chamber. A chain or cord, h2, is secured at one end to the rod 71, and leads over suitable ways or pulleys to a connection with a movable electrode, G2, in another chamber, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

municating at the ends with the chamber B.

It has perforations in one wall, and combined with these perforations are valves B5, which are held to their seats by springs and by whatever pressure there may be within the chamber, but which open under the iniiuence of the atmosphere outside of the chamber whenever the pressure within the chamber shall be reduced below atmospheric pressure.

I is a stop-cock for admitting a quantity of air to one of the chambers B.Y Then the cylinder is sufficiently charged, this stop-cock should be closed. It is here shown as attached to one of the injectors.

It is the design of the engine herein described to utilize the direct explosion-pressure within one chamber to force the gas or other fuel into another chamber to'mix and vaporize the fuel, and to produce a succession of explosions in the several chambers by using' piping and igniting devices such as shown, thus dispensing with moving parts, as heretofore employed. This series or succession of explosions may be illustrated as follows: .Air

is first admitted by means ofthe stop-cock I,

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hrough the pipe D into the chamber B through its injector, where an explosion is oceasioned by parting the electrodes therein by ineans of the Connection h2 with the piston H', connected to the ehaniber B l, which is allowed to fall of its own Weight by the vacuum created in said ehainberB l by the initial eX- plosion. This vaeu um also operates the valves B5 Within the inlet B4, thus admitting atmospheric air tothe Chamber for the following explosion in said chamber. The saine operation takes place in the several el'lainbers sueeessively, and they are so connected by the pipes D that when an explosion takes place in the chamber near the port; side of the Vessel the next explosion takes plaee near the starboard, and back and forth, so that the Yessel will not be turned from her course.

The present illustrations show the eourso ot the explosion to be from B l to B 3, thence to B 2, thence to ll 4, and thence to the startingpoint B l.

lt is obvious that the intense heat generated by the explosion will in Iche ease of liquid fuel assist its vaporization by. the inj eetor E, and thus aid the rapidity an d completen ess ot' the explosions.

Having described n1 y invention, what I elaini isl. In an e11gine,the emnbination of a number of eoinbustion-chambers, pipes or eonduits conveying the product of combustion from one ehaniber to another, an apparatus for igniting the Contents of the Chambers, and motors 'foroperating said i gniting apparatus, substantially as specified.

2. In an engine, the Combination of two or more combustionchambers, said Chambers having eoninuinieation by means of conduits, feed-in( \e1;ors for said chambers eoinni unieat ing with said pipes, a reeeptaele for hydrocarbon eonneetin g with the chambers, and an apparatus for igniting the contents of the chambers in succession, substantially as speeitied.

3. I n an engine, the eonibination, with a eonibustion-ehainber and an igniting apparatus, of the piston-valve operating in a Cylinder on the ehainber and having connection with an igniting device, substantially as speeiiied.

4f. In an engine, the combination of a nuniber of combustion chambers, fuel feeders therefor, and igniting apparatus, the fuelfeeder belonging to one eonibustion-ehan1ber being in Communication with a different eo1nbustiou-ehambeu suliistantially as specified.

JOHN A. SECOR. \\'ituesses:

C. R. FEReUstm, WILLL-m H. RoBINsoN. 

